Tech watch: Everything and anything

Data has always been created in growing amounts, but not in the ways it is today. The Internet of Everything is the end result, but where does it leave the IT industry?

Business data, personal data, data everywhere. That the world is in the midst of a data explosion is uncontested.

But not all of that data is immediately useful so it is being tucked away for future use. That puts a lot of pressure on storage. And the situation is only likely to be further exacerbated.

Cisco was one of the first companies to use the term The Internet of Everything (IoE). It describes a world where everything and everyone is connected in order to do more and be more. A lot of the data is generated by mobile devices and computers, though telematics on cars and roadways is also contributing to the growth.

Red Hat A/NZ platform services and pre-sales senior manager, Colin McCabe, is excited about the possibilities of IoE. For one, there is the ability to harness an almost endless stream of data that will be allow everybody to better informed. There is also the opportunity to make "more timely decisions" to better understand the world at a level never before thought possible.

McCabe points out how more information in the hands of more people has always led to greater transparency and innovation. However, simply collecting and storing disparate data from interconnected systems and devices is "meaningless".

"The true value of IoE will only be realised when we can harness this newfound data and turn it into meaningful information that people can use to enrich their lives, companies to drive innovation, and governments to deliver greater services," McCabe said.

CommVault A/NZ systems engineering director, Michael Porfirio, said IoE translates to a deluge of business and consumer data that businesses will need to capture, analyse and manage at a faster rate. However, organisations should not be intimidated by it, as innovations such as these are a "necessary presence" in IT.

"The rise of IoE will drive the implementation of new approaches even further by placing more relevance on Cloud, real-time analytics and mobile applications," he said.

Porfirio highlights smart processes, advanced analytics and strong policies as the key to smart data management. By doing so, the type and value of data can be easily identified initially and at all points through the lifecycle. "This allows increased security, flexibility and transparency of the real business value of data to be strategically assessed," he said.

Ready for everything IoE is a relatively new trend, yet one that is already generating large volumes of data. This has led to questions of whether the storage industry is prepared for the trend, such as meeting the storage demands. IoE may be an emerging trend, though TIBCO Software regional CTO, Paul Scott-Murphy, said the exponential trend in storage capacity is not.